Ideation · advanced · 35 min
Reframing the Challenge
This method helps participants look at a sustainability challenge from multiple perspectives to generate new insights and potential solutions. By reframing the problem, participants can break free from conventional thinking and discover innovative approaches.
What participants gain
- Apply different reframing techniques to a sustainability challenge.
- Generate multiple reframed problem statements.
- Identify new insights and potential solutions.
- Improve creative problem-solving skills.
Materials needed
- Whiteboard or flip chart
- Markers
- Reframing prompts
- Post-it notes
- Timer
How to run Reframing the Challenge, step by step
- 1. Introduce the challenge and define the problem.
- 2. Explain the reframing techniques.
- 3. Divide participants into small groups.
- 4. Ask each group to reframe the problem using different techniques.
- 5. Have each group share their reframed problem statements.
- 6. Identify new insights and potential solutions.
- 7. Discuss the implications of the reframed problems.
Facilitator tips
- Encourage participants to use different lenses, like customer, employee, or environmental perspectives.
- Provide example reframing statements to stimulate thinking.
- Create a safe space for creative exploration and experimentation.
Common challenges
- Participants struggle to come up with new perspectives - Offer guided questions to prompt alternative viewpoints.
- Discussions become repetitive - Introduce new reframing techniques to keep the process fresh.
- Participants get stuck on assigning causes - Review the root causes and ask for evidence.
Running it virtually
Use a virtual whiteboard tool where participants can collaboratively add reframing statements and vote on the most promising ones.
Expected results
Participants will generate a diverse set of reframed problem statements for a key sustainability challenge. They will identify new insights and potential solutions that were not apparent before, opening up new avenues for innovation.
Build a session around Reframing the Challenge
METODIC drops Reframing the Challenge into a complete session plan with timing, materials, worksheets, and a facilitator guide — for any workshop, meeting, or team session.